To receive the ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum Performance Achievement Award, University Hospital consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the ACTION Registry–GWTG Premier for eight consecutive quarters and has performed at the top level of standards for specific performance measures.

Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality-improvement process using data to improve adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart-attack patients.

“As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, University Hospital has shown it is a leader in implementing standards of care and protocols for its patients,” said Dr. Deepak L. Bhatt, ACTION Registry-GWTG Chair; executive director of interventional cardiovascular programs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center; and professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School. “By meeting the requirements set forth in the registry and establishing a culture of providing guideline-recommended therapy, University Hospital is saving lives and improving outcomes of heart-attack patients.”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 700,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking-cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.

“Receiving this award for a fifth consecutive year serves as further confirmation to our patients that we have the systems, people and resources in place to deliver consistent and exceptional care,” said Dr. Amish Raval, interventional cardiologist at University Hospital. "It also serves as a testimony to the hard work and commitment to excellence that our staff demonstrates on a daily basis.”

The NCDR ACTION registry is an outcomes-based, quality improvement program that helps hospitals apply science-based guideline recommendations and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care for patients with coronary artery disease. The registry is a partnership between the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association with partnering from the American College of Emergency Physicians, Society of Chest Pain Centers and the Society of Hospital Medicine.

The award will be presented in November during the American Heart Association conference in New Orleans.